Category Archives: Vancouver Area Adventures

July 9th – Gung Haggis dragon boat team practice: preparation for races in Kent WA

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July 9th – Gung Haggis dragon boat team practice:
preparation for races in Kent WA

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team is getting ready to go to Kent/Seattle dragon boat races, just south of Sea Tac airport on Lake Meridien.  It is part of Cornucopia Days in Kent WA.

We had a mix of veteran paddlers, rookies, and brand new beginners.  A full boat of 23 paddlers… okay… a wee bit heavy.  It was important to prepare the team for the races in Kent WA, for next week, so we started off with some warm-up, then did a 500m race piece.  It was a little bit ragged, so we did some exercises for timing and technique, before working on our starts, and finishing off on another race piece.

The Cornucopia Days festival has a real small-town America feel to it. The streets are closed off.and stalls lined the curbs.  There is music, and amusement park rides.  The bars are open, and so is the beer garden. There is no great variety of multicultural music, arts and culture like in Canada… but there generally is classic rock and roll, country music and an Elvis impersonator or two.

I really like the races on Lake Meridien.  It's a nice civilized lake, that has become gentrified – surrounded by former “resort homes” as urban sprawl spread south of Seattle and into the town of Kent.  From it's inception in 2001, the Kent dragon boat race has tried to follow IDBF format.  In 2001, there were 250m sprint and 1000 distance races, in addition to the 500m standard race length.  The first year, I went down to volunteer for the False Creek Women's team, assisting coach Andre Dillon with keeping track of race times, and stopwatch timing.  The FC Women went to Kent to try out the new BuK dragon boats that would also be used in the World Championships in Philadelphia the next month.

In 2002, I went down with 3 new dragon boat paddlers to teach them the fine art of “dragon boat slutting.”  I knew that there would be a few teams short of paddlers, and wasn't about to let the lack of a dragon boat team get in my way of racing.

No sooner than I had checked in with the race registrar who gave me the name of the Multnohmah Canoe Club, which was short of paddlers, when I bump into Joe from the Tacoma Dragon Boat Association.

“Hi Todd, who are you paddling with?”

“Nobody yet… I came down on my own…”

“Well step over her, our coach Clem would sure like to talk with you,” Joe welcomed me.

I had met the Tacoma DBA, the previous year at the Seattle Cancer Survival Dragon Boat Race on Lake Washington the year before, and began the start of a beautiful friendship with the team and organization.  That day, I raced for a gold medal in the finals, as the Tacoma DBA placed 1st overall.  My paddling friends from Vancouver, all declared medals at the border, as the Multnohmah Canoe Club also medaled in the Recreation Divison.

Looks like Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team will have a lot to live up to next week on July 15th,  when we race on Lake Meridien.

Storyscapes Chinatown: “Spiritual Kinship” – Todd Wong

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Storyscapes Chinatown: “Spiritual Kinship” – Todd Wong


Here is my contribution to Storyscapes Chinatown, bringing together
stories of interactions between First Nations and Chinese peoples in
Vancouver.  I was very pleased to bring a Creation Story to tie in
the spiritual kinship between these two cultural groups.  I have
always personally felt a spiritual bond to First Nations peoples…
especially since I have travelled to Nu-Chal-nuth territory in Kyuquot
Sound, Nootka territory in Clayquot Sound, Haida territory in Haida
Gwaii, Squamish and Musqueam territory throughout the Lower mainland
from Tsawassen to Lillo'wat and Okanagan Territory too.

This particular story about the Mongolian birth mark on First Nations people was told to me by an elderly First Nations man that I met at the mouth of the Capilano River in North Vancouver.  My father and I went for a walk, and some First Nations people were fishing on the East side of the river.  All the land here is land belonging to the Burrard First Nations.  We had a good talk about fishing, then about being non-white, and giving appreciation to each other's culture.  Then we talked about how both Chinese and First Nations babies both have the Mongolian birthmark when they are born.  He shared this story with me.

There are many theories about how Asian peoples may have migrated
across the Bering Strait to North America across an “ice bridge.” One
of my favorite Creation stories about the First Nations people, is by
Bill Reid.  It is how Raven found a clam.  He opened it,
setting the first peoples free.  There are many Creation stories,
and we need to respect all of them. 

But we also know that there are aboriginal people in Siberia and also
in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska – who are family and travel across
the Bering Sea to visit each other.  It is the same as aboriginal
people on Southern Vancouver Island who travel to North West Washington
across the Juan de Fuca Strait.  They have been related and family
– since before Canada or the United States existed.  What are
geographic borders but creations of human ideas?

Storyscapes Chinatown: “Know Where You Come From” – Rhonda Larrabee

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Storyscapes Chinatown: “Know Where You Come From” – Rhonda Larrabee

This is my cousin Rhonda Larrabee.  Actually she is my mother’s cousin.  I knew Grand Uncle Art since I was a child, but I never met Rhonda until we started preparing a family reunion in 1999 for the Rev. Chan Yu Tan descendants.  Previously I had heard of Rhonda, and that she had created a family tree, as I had similarly done.  It was inevitable that we should meet, and
instantly like each other tremendously.

Rhonda is incredible.  She has singlehandedly resurrected the Qayqayt First Nations Band.  When she first applied for her Indian status, she was denied and was told that the Qayqayt “didn’t exist anymore.”  Disappointed, she was shocked because clearly she existed, and her brothers existed, and her mother’s siblings still existed.  A few years later… she applied again and was granted status.  She was told “I guess you want some land now too.”

Rhonda was the subject of the award winning National Film Board documentary “Tribe of One,” directed by Eunhee Cha.  It is the story of Rhonda and how she discovered her First Nations heritage at the adult age of 24, and how she claimed it, and became elected band chief. 
There are some pictures of family attending the “Three Chinese Pioneer Families” photo exhibit at the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives in 2002.

I am proud of Rhonda… and she is proud of me.  We enthusiastically support each other in our endeavors, and especially with the Rev. Chan Legacy Project, and family reunions.

Storyscapes Chinatown: “Celebrate Our Differences” – Joe Wai

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Storyscapes Chinatown: “Celebrate Our Differences” – Joe Wai

This is my cousin Joe Wai.  Joe's mother is my father's eldest
sister.  Our grandfather Wong Wah, came to Canada at age 16. 
He was soon managing his uncle's store which became the largest Chinese
drygoods store in Victoria's Chintown.  Joe's mother was born in
Canada, but grew up in Hong Kong.  She wasn't able to come back to
Canada, until after the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed. The family
came to Canada around 1953, the year my own parents married.

Joe is an architect who has made many contributions to Vancouver's
Chinatown.  He was the architect for the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical
Chinese Gardens, the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives, the
Chinatown Millenium Gate, The Chinatown Parkade, the West End Community
Centre… and many other buildings in Vancouver.

Because of Joe, I was inspired to be an architect… then he talked me
out of it.  But I have always counted Joe and his brother Hayne as
my early role models.  I saw them involved in Vancouver's Chinese
community, and especially the formation of the Chinese Cultural
Centre.  I am very proud of them.

Storyscapes Chinatown premieres on Saturday – check out my “Creation Story”

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Storyscapes Chinatown premieres on Saturday

– check out my “Creation Story”

I am part of 23 story tellers gathered to share stories of interactions between Chinese and First Nations people in Vancouver.  

Check out Storyscapes Chinatown exhibition during
the Chinese Cultural Centre's Arts and Cultural festival held on July
8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. The exhibition will be in the courtyard of
the Centre (50 West Pender), as well as on the corner of Pender and
Carall. Please spread the word! An invitation to the exhibition will
follow next week.

My contribution is a Creation story that I learned in one of my many meetings with First Nations people.  I have travelled up up and down both sides of Vancouver Island, from Kyuquot Sound to Alert Bay.  I have also travelled to Haida Gwaii, Mount Currie, Tsawassen, and the Okanagan and and talked with many people about interactions between Chinese and First Nations peoples.  My cousin Rhonda Larrabee, is Chief of Qayqayt First Nations (New Westminster) Band.

Storyscapes Chinatown is a partnership between
KAYA (Knowledgable Aboriginal Youth Association) and the City Of
Vancouver, working with the Musqueam Indian Band, Vancouver Chinatown
Revitalization Committee (VCRC) and diverse community reps.

I attended the March 11, 2005, Storyscapes story sharing which brought together members of the First Nations and Chinatown community.

I shared a creation story, about why First
Nations and Chinese peoples are born with blue spots on the
bottoms.  It is called a Mongolian spot, or Mongolian Birthmark.
My story relates to how the two cultures believe that their real home
is the spirit world, and the physical world is full of lessons, and
hardships….

I introduced my story this way:

I was just
talking with Louis [Schmidt] (first nations WW2 veteran) – and unfortunately, it sounds like a lot of
the First Nations people and the Chinese people came together because
they sought refuge from white people.  After the railway was built, a lot of Chinese people were taken in by First Nations villages.  There was lots of
discrimination in those old days.  And even today, I think it’s terrible that we come
together, sometimes, and we talk about white people.

But, you know, we
understand.  And I think that’s part of it, that there’s a sense of
community and understanding. And just want to share some literary
references with you. In Sky Lee’s book, “Disappearing
Moon Café,” she wrote about a First Nations woman marrying a Chinese
man.  Also in Naomi’s Road by Joy Kogawa – her children's version of her novel “Obasan.”  There’s a story of a First Nations man named Roughlock Bill, who met the
Japanese people that were sent up to the Okanagan and “evacuated” away
from the coast.


Here is a version of my Creation Story:

As we know, a long time ago, in the First Nations culture, and that still continues today, there’s a sense of spirit  an understanding that we actually belonged to Spirit. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, rather than physical beings seeking a spiritual experience.  In Chinese culture, …there are many heavens and many hells, and as we know through a lot of Buddhism, there is a lot of reincarnation. which is recognized in First Nations culture as well.

A Creation story is about how we come into being. How we were born from spirit and became physical.  The physical world we are living in right now is where we do the learning for our spiritual development physical time being.

But it can be very challenging.  There’s a lot of hardship in this physical world – lots of discrimination, a lot of racism.  We know that if we wanted a nice perfect life we wouldn’t come into this physical world. We wouldn’t want to be born. We would want to stay in the spiritual world because this that is our true home. It is where we are most happy.

What we recognize as Asian and First Nations people that this is what we still have to come out, but  to and it’s tough to be born come into this physical world. It is so tough that sometimes we have to be kicked out.

We have to get kicked out.

And that is a true story, because when you were born, if you were are Asian or First Nations,  You you were born with have blue spots on your body. And This is a story about the creation story about the Mongolian birthmark. You find it on Asian children. You find it on First Nations children. But the true story of why we have blue spots, and that we recognize  is that we come from the spiritual world and have to be kicked out in order to get born.

 – Todd Wong

 


Kilts Night Vancouver – moved to 1st Thursday of the Month

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Kilts Night Vancouver – moved to 1st Thursday of the Month

It's a wee tradition in Vancouver to wear your kilt on Kilts Night.  Kilts Night started at the Atlantic Trap and Gill a few years ago… but moved to Doolin's Irish Pub
Jan 1st Kilts Night at Doolin's

Doolin's Irish Pub
654 Nelson Street at Granville Street Vancouver BC

Here's the invitation from Bear:


All right lads and lassies,

It's time to get Kilts Night going again.

We've changed Kilts Night to the first Thursday of every month because
the Halifax Wharf Rats play live on Thursdays and there isn't the wall
to wall crush of people there is on every Saturday at Doolin's.  So come on out, bring your friends, have a Guinness, stomp your feet,
and let's have a good time!  (I'm told the ladies have missed us and our kilts terribly. Let's not
let this travesty continue! We must alleviate their pain!)

Bear


See below for Kilts night related stories on www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com


Kilts Night at Doolin's where we meet a lovely lass wearing a black pleated plaid.

Grouse Grind: The day after the day after Canada Day

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Grouse Grind: The day after the day after Canada Day

The very first time I did the Grouse Grind, it was on Canada Day in
1999 or 2000.  There was snow at the top of the Grind… and
people were skiing on Grouse and Cypress Bowl.  Phenomenal.

Today…. I did the Grind with Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team
members.  Some of the paddlers had done it last week, and the
chance for me to do it for the first time since Trevor Linden was
traded back to the Canucks, was too much to resist.  I think that
time we finished the Grind in about 1 hour.  I used to do a lot of
trail running, and could really sprint up the steps with style.

Meet at 10am… at the bottom of the Grind.  Okay… we didn't get
going until 11am.   We were hoping for a 90 minute jaunt up
the mountain, but it stretched to about 110 minutes because it was very
crowded on the holiday Monday.  We paced ourselves and climbed
according to our ability and conversation levels.  Some people
like our marathon runner Grace were able to sprint up the hill,
followed closely by Stephen.  Others like Dan, Jim, Wendy and
myself… took our time and had good conversations with each other and
the people we met.  Finishing somewhere in the middle were Jonas,
his friend Navid, Julie and Teresa.

“Aren't you paddling today?” a stranger asked me half way up the
Grind.  His name was Bryan and he paddled with Lotus Sports
Club.  He recognized me as the organizer/coach of the Gung Haggis
Fat Choy dragon boat team.  We had a nice conversation. 

I told him I was really happy with this year's Gung Haggis team. 
Here it was the 3rd day of a holiday long weekend, and we had already
met for Canada Day BBQ, Sunday practice + Jazz Festival, now the Grouse
Grind.  They really enjoy each other's company that much! 
And they will be ready for practice on Tuesday.

I hiked/ran back down the Grind on my own…. determined to get myself back into my old fitness level.
My thighs and knees are sore now.  But my back feels pretty
good.  Much better than when I run a 10km Terry Fox Run without
training…. Training is important.  Doing the Grind is just my
training to do a run across the Baden Powell Trail from Horseshoe Bay
to Deep Cove.  The “Knee-Knackering North Shore Trail Run” takes 6
hours to 10 to complete…. I think.  Maybe I won't do it.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team at Lotus Sports Club's dragon boat regatta at Barnet Marine Park

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Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team at Lotus Sports Club's “Bill Alley Memorial dragon boat regatta” at Barnet Marine Park

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team – front row: Carolyn, Wendy, Rita, Gail and Natalie. 
Standing: Anne-Marie, Julie, Jonas, Steven, Jim, Dave, Daming,
Jennifer, Joe, Sonja, Todd, Stephen, Constance, Deb, and Dan.  – Photo courtesy of Lotus Sports Club

The Lotus Sports Club's Bill Alley Memorial Dragon Boat Regatta
is always a fun friendly race.  Chilliwack and Ft. Langley teams
really support it well.  I have attended many years with different
teams.  Celebration in 98, 99, and 2000, Civil Serpents in 2001,
Spirit of Vancouver in 2004, spectator for 2005, and finally with Gung
Haggis team in 2006.  The Lotus Sports Club
is where I first
learned to paddle a dragon boat in 1993 with the Hamazaki Wong
Headliners team.  Grace Morisette was my first coach, and Lotus
people have all become friends over the years, such as Jim McArthur and
Barb Diggins. Friendly faces include Barb Alley, John Park, Carmella,
Jane, Clyde, Cindy, Dean and many many others.  I can also say I
have known Joyce Yeoh and Elton
Pao, since they were junior paddlers.



Our team
really had a lot of fun.  Our rookies were very excited to be in
their first races, our veterans were calm, cool, collected and shared
information.  Dan brought smokies, Joe brought camp stove and
tent.  Dave brought the large Gung Haggis tent.  Food,
shelter and friends – what more can you ask for?  Okay… we had a
team bbq afterwards at Joe's Burnaby home following the regatta.

There
is a prize raffle draw with proceeds going to the Bill Alley Memorial
scholarship.  Bill Alley was a founding member of Lotus, and dedicated
to the Lotus Sports Club.  Each year I help donate prizes to the raffle
and help promote it as an event during Asian Heritage Month.



Format is
round robin for first 3 races + Finals – so you get to race each of the other
teams + have your own category, for a total of FOUR races.  That's
a lot in a day for brand new rookie paddlers!



For the race finals you are put into one of each category:  Junior, Women's, Mixed or Seniors.  Seeding is decided by cumulative race times.  The Open category is decided by the cumulative race time that is the fastest!


Our
friends “The Pirates” led by left stroke and captain Ian Paul (in
front), leading the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team (in
back).  Notice how deep the Pirates paddles are – getting good
water on their blades, while the Gung Haggis paddles are not as deep or
consistent.  We will have to work on that aspect of our paddle
technique. – photo Ben Lee (see more photos at http://www.dragonboatwest.net



The
rotation of the races is pretty fast, so that would help discount for
other effects such as tide, wind, officiating, start position.  But
this is meant to be a FUN regatta, so the start positions were not
overly picky, especially with wind causing drift at the start line.



Teams
swapped paddlers here and there.  Gung Haggis loaned about 10
paddlers
at one point for Smoke on the Water's 3rd race – because the beginner
team from Chilliwack had paddlers that needed to leave or for other
reasons.  Gung Haggis raced 18 paddlers for our first two races,
than
added 2 paddlers in race 3, then raced the final  with 19
paddlers.  It was great to have Nadia join us for our 3rd and 4th
race.  She is a good friend of Wendy, and paddles on Concord
Pacific.  She had met our team members Dan, Pam and Kristine, who
joined Concord for their San Francisco races last August.



Put
this event on your calendar for next year.   FOUR races,  Great Fun,
beautiful pebble beach setting, lots of trees for shade or rain
protection, Friendly hosts, and BBQ friendly!   No medals – just awards
for the top finisher in each category + Top 3 finishers in Open
category, AND a team picture already framed to take home!



“Toddish
McWong” steering the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  I only
started wearing the kilt at dragon boat races last year.  It is a Maple
Leaf Tartan made by Bear Kilts.   Sonja and Jennifer (seat 10) in their first dragon boat regatta ever,
and 4th race of the day.  Dave Samis and Jonas in seat 9, Dan Seto in
seat 8.
photo Ben Lee (see more photos at http://www.dragonboatwest.net/


Officially – there were 16 teams entered

Check out the Lotus Sports Club website

http://www.lotussports.com/page.cfm?PageID=11



Now what were the official results of the FINALS races?   (this is from memory!)



Junior Category –

Lotus Juniors 1 or A  (can't tell the names apart!)

Lotus Juniors A or 1



Women's Category

WOW – Women on Water (Ft. Langley)

Abreast in Barnet


Senior's Division  –

FCRCC Grand Dragons

Dogwood Nothin' Dragons (Coquitlam)

The Eh Team

Dogwood Nothin' Dragons Challengers

FCRCC Grand Dragons (withdrew and did not race finals)



Mixed Adult – 

Sudden Impact

SOAR – Spirit of a renegade (Ft. Langley)

Chilliwack Thunder Strokers (Chilliwack)

Pirates  (Chilliwack)

Lotus Mixed

Gung Haggis Fat Choy

Smoke on the Water (Chiliwack) (withdrew and did not race finals)

“Music with Marnie”at Vancouver Children's Festival – I meet Marnie!!!

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“Music with Marnie”at Vancouver Children's Festival – I meet Marnie!!!



Marnie Grey and Todd Wong – my eyes are closed in bliss! – photo Deb Martin

I went to the Vancouver International Children's
Festival with my mother and my almost 3 year old nephew.  We went to see “Music with Marnie,” 
Marnie Grey is an incredibly energetic former pre-school worker, who
now headlines her own shows at children's festivals across the country.

Marnie is a friend of my mother's.  They practice Qi Gong together
sometimes.  Marnie and her husband Kevin were caught in the
December 26th Tsunami in Thailand.  Check out her incredible story
of getting hit by the water, running for the hills, and experiencing
the incredible love and support of the Thai people, as well as how
Marnie has found a way to give something back to the Thai community.

Check out Marnie's bio at the Children's Fest.  Better yet – catch her remaining shows on Sunday May 21, or Monday May 22.

The Children's Festival is lots of fun this year.  We also saw
Lolo and
Bob, two fun young women who sing songs about sea animals in a show
called Sea Notes.  We did face painting, and I even bought a large
stuffed animal dragon toy.  One for my nephew… one for me and
the dragon boat team.

Marnie has a wonderful children's album called Groovin' Through the Neighborhood.  It has instantly singable songs perfect for pre-school aged children.  Check out Marnie's album:

My Favorite Marnie Songs are:

1. Marnie and Her Rock and Roll Band
2. Kangaroos
5. Cement Truck Mix
6. Oh the Bump
10. I Yi Yippee Yi Yay
14. Mumbu Where are You?
15. Going to the Moon

Recounting Todd's birthday memories for 2006

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Recounting Todd's birthday memories for 2006


Celebrating
Todd's Birthday at Doolin's with Gung Haggis paddlers: Jonas, Rita,
Deb, Todd, Christine and Jim – photo Rebecca with Todd's new camera!


Yesterday, a song popped into my head.  I sang along with
it.  “Yesterday, it was my birthday.  I hung one more year on
the line…” goes the Paul Simon song “Have a Good Time.”

I spent the morning and afternoon playing with my “almost 3” year old
nephew.  We pretended we were dinosaurs.  We built houses for
the toy animals to live in.  We bounced balloons up in the
air.  We played hide and seek.  We blew out the candle for my
cake together.  We went for a walk to play in the school playground.

Usually I always like to go away out of town for my birthday.  I
have woken up at Long Beach, Whistler, travelled to the tulip fields in
the Skagit Valley.  It's good to have time for yourself.  But
now it was time to revel in the joy of life, as seen through the eyes
of a almost-three year old.  Life is wonderous and
beautiful.  Cake is great.  So is singing… life should be
like this everyday.



My Birthday cake of
choice is the “Mexican Hat Cake” from Notte's Bon Ton French Pastry and
Confectionary – photo Todd Wong.  I have always loved the
chocolate rolls and shavings on top.  My mother trained me well
from a young age.

I went to work for my regular shift at the Vancouver Public Library on
the information desk.  My writer friend Kuldip Gill dropped by and
said hello.  During my break I went down to the Alice Mackay Room
where the Literature Department had put together a panel discussion of
Asian-Canadian writers, including Kuldip, Kevin Chong (Baroque-a-Nova,
and Neil Young Nation), Lydia Kwa (A Place Called Absence, and The
Walking Boy), and Terrie Hamazaki.  I was also surprised to see
friend Kathy Leung, ex Gung Haggis dragon boater, and co-moderator for
Scripting Out Loud.  It was nice to see them all and say hi, even
though I only had 15 minutes during my break.

At nine o'clock, my shift finished, and I dropped back down to say hi
to the writers downstairs.  I bought Lydia's book “The Walking
Boy,” which had been nominated for best fiction for the BC Book
Prizes.  Lydia signed it.

Now wearing my kilt… I joined my friend Christine, my girlfriend Deb,
and new paddler Rita.  We walked over to the Doolin's Irish Pub to
celebrate my birthday.  Paddlers Jonas and Jim were there
too.  I was surprised to see my Kilts night friends, kiltmaker
Terry “Bear” Varga, and Raphael Fang sitting at the bar.

“It's like a mini-kilt night,” exclaimed Bear.  The operative word
is mini kilt.  We cornered him to make up some mini-kilts for the
Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  He talked to Deb and
Christine about lengths.

“I want a yellow mini-kilt,” exclaimed my long time buddy Christine.

“It would have to be the MacLeod tartan,” I told her.  “Or we
could rename it the McWong – since “Wong” actually means “yellow” in
Cantonese.  “It would be perfect for a nice Chinese girl like you!”

“Todd wants me to be wearing a mini-kilt if I'm drumming or steering
the boat,” said Deb, who will be wearing the Fraser Hunting Tartan… I
mean what we are calling the Fraser “Sport” tartan.  black with
Blue and red… dragon boat racing is a sport… hunting is kind of a
sport.  Let's call it the “Sport Tartan.”

We had a great time at Doolin's.  I know a few of the waitresses
and managers there.  I was offered a Birthday Shooter.  I
chose a B-52.  It was quickly followed by a pint of Guinness.





Live music was provided by the Halifax Wharf Rats.  Michelle is
their leader, who also plays in the celtic band Black Thorne.  In
addition to all the Maritime songs, that our paddler Jim seemed to know
by heart, they played my special request…  “I Was Made For
Loving You Baby” – originally a disco song by the heavy rock band
KISS.  Michelle wished me Happy Birthday, and Halifax Wharf Rats
started a nice slow traditional version of “Happy Birthday To You,”
which became a rave-up.  (Halifax Wharf Rats in picture at right – Michelle in purple, guys in black- from the Celtic Fest website).
http://www.celticfestvancouver.com/performers.html#wharfrats

A good birthday.  I even met some new potential dragon boat
recruits.  A fellow who plays bagpipes and is new to Vancouver
came up to me, asking why I was wearing a kilt.  His name was
Jason.  He introduced me to his friends, Paddy, Cameron and
Megan.  All perfect names for a Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat
team.  Hope we see them on the boat on Sundays at 1pm, or Tuesdays
at 6pm. 

We also met a Rebecca with friend Andrea from Nanaimo. 
“Paddling sounds like too much work!” she answered my recruiting
overtures.  “The truth is… we really just want to have fun,” I
confided to her.  “My drinking team actually has a paddling
problem.”  She laughed.  But sadly, it really is the truth.